WEBVTT A LITTLE MANGO HABANERO SALSA. PORTSMOUTH’S VIDA CANTINA, OWNED BY CHEF DAVID VARGAS, OFFERS MODERN MEXICAN CUISINE WITH A NEW ENGLAND TWIST. CLIP 38 51:02-51:07 WE’RE SUPER BLESSED IN THIS AREA TO HAVE SUCH A TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME VARGAS IS BEING RECOGNIZED BY THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AS A SEMIFINALIST FOR BEST CHEF IN THE NORTHEAST . CLIP 38 47:26-47:38 IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT IN THE NORTHEAST THERE’S SO MANY RESTAURANTS SO MANY PHENOMENAL CHEFS, SO MANY MORE DESERVING CHEFS THAN MYSELF AND IT’S INCREDIBLE. BLACK TRUMPET NATS EVAN MALLET, CHEF AND OWNER OF BLACK TRUMPET IS NOW A 5-TIME SEMIFINALST. CLIP 79 15:47-15:53 EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS I AM STUPEFIED I JUST KNOW HOW MUCH TALENT THERE IS OUT THERE. CLIP 76 37:08-37:12 WHILE THEY’RE UP FOR THE SAME HONOR . THEY’RE VERY MUCH ROOTING FOR ONE ANOTHER. CLIP 79 23:01-23:07 HE CAME INTO THIS COMMUNITY WITH A GREAT PERSPECTIVE. CLIP 38 49:20-49:26 TO BE ON THE LIST WITH HIM, I CALLED HIM UP RIGHT AWAY AND I SAID THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE DONE FOR ME. BOTH CHEFS HAVE A PASSION FOR COMMUNITY . WHETHER IT’S THE INGREDIENTS THEY COOK WITH, THE PEOPLE THEY FEED, OR THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED THEM ALONG THE WAY. CLIP 38 48:34-48:41 I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WIFE AND TWO BEAUTIFUL KIDS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THIS WHOLE CAREER, SO I OWE EVERYTHING TO THEM. CLIP 78 11:22-11:28 IT’S NOT ABOUT US, IT’S ABOUT THIS GIANT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE WHAT WE DO POSSIBLE. IN PORTSMOUTH, SL WMUR NEWS NINE. TRACKING DOWN SEX OFFE

Portsmouth's culinary scene is booming, so it's no surprise the city has two chefs up for a prestigious honor.David Vargas and Evan Mallett are among the semifinalists announced Wednesday for the 2019 James Beard Awards, in the best chef in the Northeast category.>> Download the FREE WMUR appVida Cantina, owned by Vargas, offers modern Mexican cuisine with a New England twist.“We're super blessed in this area to have such a tight knit community that supports us,” Vargas said.This is the first time Vargas is being recognized by the James Beard Foundation.“If you think about, it in the Northeast, there's so many restaurants, so many phenomenal chefs, so many more deserving chefs than myself, and it's incredible,” he said.Mallett, owner of Black Trumpet, is now a five-time semifinalist.“Every time it happens, I am stupefied,” he said. “I just know how much talent there is out there.”While the two chefs are up for the same honor, they’re still rooting for one another.“He came into this community with a great perspective,” Mallett said of Vargas.“To be on the list with him, I called him up right away and I said, ‘Thank you for everything that you've done for me,’” Vargas said of Mallett.Both chefs have a passion for community, whether it's the ingredients they cook with, the people they feed, or those who have helped them along the way. “I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful kids that have supported me through this whole career, so I owe everything to them,” Vargas said.“It's not about us, it's about this giant group of people who make what we do possible,” Mallett said.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —

Portsmouth's culinary scene is booming, so it's no surprise the city has two chefs up for a prestigious honor.

David Vargas and Evan Mallett are among the semifinalists announced Wednesday for the 2019 James Beard Awards, in the best chef in the Northeast category.